Bargain Mom's Family Vacation to Kentucky & Ohio (Corvettes, Louisville Slugger, Patton, Lincoln, Dinos, USAF Museum & more)

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 12.16.12 PM.pngThis is the field behind Lincoln's boyhood home in Knob Creek, Kentucky.

Have you ever been to Kentucky or Ohio?  If you haven't ventured up the I-65 corridor through Bowling Green, Cave City, Elizabethtown to Louisville, make sure you put it on your to do list.

There are so many interesting and entertaining attractions from Kentucky state line to state line.

My husband and I took our kids on our summer vacation this year and hit a number of points along that route and beyond.

Back in Marc

which wasn't bad.

We had a Ford Expedition XL and it was perfect for our large family and packing needs.  It also got great gas mileage for that size vehicle.  We filled up four times including the final fill up at vehicle return.

Now back to the trip --

Day 1 -

Pick up the car

Stop at the Kentucky Visitor Center on I65 -- they have a number of helpful maps, coupons and brochures.  Although they were a little stingy and slow with information.

Drove to

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Toll Free: 800.53.VETTE (83883)

National Corvette Museum – This state-of-the-art structure houses over 60 rare and unique Corvettes dating from 1953. Also featured are a 3,000 square-foot shopping facility, 200-seat big screen theater, and interactive displays. Located just across the street from the world’s only Corvette Assembly Plant. Open daily year-round. 270-781-7973 or 800-53-VETTE

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 12.12.18 PM.png This is an amazing tribute car to the victims of Sept. 11. It has Let's Roll on the front and a timeline on the back glass of that day's events.

The month of July Corvette assembly plant tours are closed.  There's a cost of $7 per child.  Children must be 7 years old or older.

DINNER --

We ate at

They have a salad bar which is average but you must try is their veggie beef soup.  It was magnificent.

I had a Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich and it was scrumptious.  I finished the whole thing.


413 East Happy Valley Street  Cave City, KY 42127
(270) 773-3450

This is the same exit for Dinosaur World -- we visited it on Saturday.  I'll get to it later in the post.

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 12.12.54 PM.pngKentucky Hot Brown Sandwich at Sahara Steaks in Cave City, KY only $5.95.

We got a pretty good deal on a Super 8 hotel in Elizabethtown -- since we booked 3 nights they gave us a 20% off discount.  Total for 3 nights stay -- $190 or so with taxes and fees. I semi-may consider staying there again.  The beds were too soft and the sheets didn't fit but for the most part they were clean and cordial.

DAY 2

We headed north to Ft. Knox which is close to Elizabethtown.


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We wanted to see the Gold Deposit and General Patton's Museum. Both free.
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Ft Knox

details:

Weekdays

9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday - Friday (Eastern Standard Time)

Closed Mondays (after July 2)

Weekends and Federal Holidays

10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Admission to the General George Patton Museum is free. The museum is open to the public. Self-guided tours

It's an interesting museum and they are expanding with a new interactive element added and open by 2013.

One side of the museum is Gen. Patton the other side is ROTC and it's history.

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 12.05.11 PM.pngFort Knox Bullion Depository

GOLD DEPOSIT --

You'll pass it on the way to the Patton Museum.  It's on the right, in a field and looks unassuming and unprotected but you're under surveillance for sure.  Cameras are everywhere.  No tours.


LUNCH --

We ate at Cheddars -- I love this restaurant and I wish Birmingham had one --

has one and

We usually try to stay away from chain restaurants when visiting new cities but we couldn't say no to Cheddar's.


Lincoln's Birthplace Memorial National Park
Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.52.10 AM.pngLincoln Memorial Birthplace Kentucky

Admission Free

We participated in free Junior Ranger program, took a free Ranger guided tour and participated in the free Civil War trading cards program to earn a set of 5 cards featuring significant moments relating the park and area to the Civil War.

This was one of our favorite stops. So informative and interesting.

The memorial itself is beautiful.  There are 56 steps to the top, symbolic of Lincoln's age when he died.  There are hidden symbols of 16 throughout the park.  There's a ramp to the top if you can't climb the 56 steps.  It's scenic and peaceful and easy to maneuver.

There is also a museum in the visitor center and a short film.

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.59.38 AM.pngJunior Ranger swearing in ceremony at Lincoln Memorial in Kentucky.

The log cabin inside the memorial is a symbol of the one room home he was born in, it's not the actual cabin.  However it does sit about 100 to 200 feet from the original site of their home.

They would later move to Knob Creek and then leave Kentucky for Indiana when Abe was about 7 years old.

well -- which we did later that night.


Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 12.02.39 PM.pngLincoln's birthplace memorial

http://www.nps.gov/abli/index.htm


DINOSAUR WORLD

After Lincoln we visited Dinosaur World.

Dinosaur World is right off the Cave City exit. You'll see a giant orange dino on the left of the interstate.  If you decide to tour Dino World you can actually walk out there to it -- it's call Photosaurus.  Take your own pictures of it and the mammoth area. It's the only portion of the park where you can climb on the statues.

This is not exactly a great educational experience but it's fun for dino lovers.

It's expensive.  Thankfully I had a bonus card I had been saving with $25 on it and used it towards admission which cut it in half for all 5 of us to tour the facility.

We also used a coupon $1 off each admission -- got it from the visitor's center.

The hike is about a mile long, there's a fossil dig the kids can participate in with a ticket (included in admission) they get to keep 3 fossils.  There's a small museum but it wasn't that great.

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.48.48 AM.pngLooking up at Photosaurus -- this is the dino you'll see from I-65.

details– Visit over 100 life sized dinosaurs in an outdoor museum setting. Search for authentic fossils to take home at the Fossil Dig. Explore the indoor Prehistoric Dinosaur Museum. Watch a short film on dinosaurs in the Movie Cave. Enjoy the playground, picnic area, gift shop and more. 270-773-4345 www.dinoworld.net

711 Mammoth Cave Road

Cave City, Kentucky 42127

Closed until tomorrow 8:30 am - 8:00 pm

Phone

1 (270) 773-4345

http://www.dinosaurworld.com

$12.75 plus tax for adults $9.75 plus tax for children ages 3 to 12 Total

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DAY 3
Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.41.12 AM.pngA look inside the factory at the Slugger museum. No cameras inside but you can take a picture outside.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MUSEUM

No admission coupons but there is a 10% off gift shop purchases excluding personalized bats and clearance.

It was only $28 for my husband, daughter and I to get in -- my boys 5 and 4 were free.


Louisville Slugger Museum -- details:

800 West Main St. Louisville, Ky 40202Adults $11, Seniors (60+) $10, Kids (6-12) $6, Kids 5 & under Free Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM - 6PM ET Sunday 10AM - 6PM ET      World Famous Factory Tour

Take a guided tour through the factory where Louisville Slugger bats are crafted with the same pride that started in 1884.

Whether it's a personalized bat with your own name on it, or one destined for the big leagues, we make sure it's just right. You'll learn every step in the process. After the tour, you'll receive a FREE miniature Louisville Slugger bat

Places to eat --

there's a Subway across the street if you're desperate.  Nothing was open on Sunday so we used our Subway coupons to do a BOGO free 6 inch deal and split it.

Parking in the deck near the museum is the cheapest -- only $4.  Parking in a lot is $5.



ABOUT THE TOUR:

The factory tour is awesome and loud but extremely interesting.

You'll purchase a ticket for the tour and you'll need to be there at a certain time.

No photography -- but there are windows all along the street so you could take pictures of the factory that way.

During the tour you'll also be able to score a free nubbin -- the tip of the bat that is chopped off before final processing.

At the end you get the free bat.

Other sites of interest in the museum --

The movie -- Heart of the Game is short and interesting.

The Bat Vault tour i

s great.  Carney Lansford a former major league ball player is my husband's cousin.  We were able to see his spec bat and the contract he signed with Louisville in the 70s.

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.43.09 AM.pngInside the Bat Vault

Check with customer service for a schedule of bonus crafts and tours they schedule at various times throughout the day.

We did splurge and purchase a personalized bat with family names and date we were there.  You can watch it being made right in the shop.

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.43.23 AM.pngCarney Lansford's contract with Louisville Slugger

KENTUCKY DERBY --

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.39.54 AM.png

It's in a slum, no a dump part of town.  Everything looked so nasty while the shiny white roofs of the Churchill Downs facility ironically glisten above the poverty.

You can tour the facility but we didn't.   We just wanted to see it.

Nasty is not the word for the area it was in and it's annoying so much wealth fills the facility in May each year while so many people live in squalor just outside the gates.

MOVING ON --

We drove over the bridge into Indiana and checked out the area then headed back to Mammoth Cave.

Mammoth Cave National Park - National Park Service --

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.54.57 AM.pngDeer were like ants they popped up everywhere and walked up to our picnic table -- Mammoth Cave NP.

You may make reservations in advance for most cave tours and campsites through the National Recreation Reservation Service.

For reservations:

By Phone: (877)444-6777

TDD (hearing impaired): (877)833-6777

Online: www.recreation.gov

Call Center Hours: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm Central Time

Visitor Center Hours:

8:00a.m. – 7:15p.m. Central Time

THE MAMMOTH CAVE VISITOR CENTER --

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.38.10 AM.pngChristie Dedman/News Staff (Mammoth Cave Focus on the Fall tour)

You'll complete Junior Ranger activities and pick up trading cards here as well.

We did the Focus on the Falls tour which was beautiful but there are other tours as well.

www.nps.gov/maca/

The place is crawling with deer -- don't feed them like people have in the past. They walk right up to you and your car.

We were invaded while having a picnic.


DAY 4

Checked out and headed north to Dayton, Ohio.

Drive time was about 3 hours.

E

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It's free and there are 17 acres of airplanes and more filling 3 giant hangers.

I spoke with a docent and he said you should allot 2 and half days to see the full museum.  He was right. However we only had 4 hours to see the entire facility.

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Of course some exhibits were skipped but we did hit the high points which the docent pointed out on a map.

It is an absolute must do if you're in Ohio.  My kids loved every second of it.

Here are the details:

Museum Hours

Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

FREE admission!

Blue line

Museum Location

1100 Spaatz Street

Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433 (near Dayton)

(937) 255-3286

After the museum we jetted over to the Aviation Heritage park -- we only had 15 minutes to run through it.

Admission is free.

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Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park - Dayton Aviation ...

www.nps.gov/daav/
Jul 9, 2012 – Includes restored museum and exhibits with themes centering around aviation and early transportation history.



DINNER --

Screen shot 2012-07-25 at 11.26.07 AM.pngBlue Ash Chili in Ohio

We stopped at The Blue Ash Chili diner in Blue Ash neighborhood outside of Cincinnati.

The prices were phenomenally cheap and the food was delish.

They were featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

I had the Cinci Chili on spaghetti.  They also have delish sundaes and malts.

One bowl of chili was $3.85.   My plate was $5.95.

Blue Ash Chili | A Cincinnati Favorite Since 1969 | Blue Ash ...

www.blueashchili.com/

From Dayton to Birmingham -- it's an 8 hour drive through Nashville etc., 9 hours if you go through Knoxville.

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